Thermal protection circuit for an led bulb

ABSTRACT

A light-emitting diode (LED) bulb has an LED within a shell. The LED bulb includes a driver circuit for providing current to the LED. The drive circuit has a thermal protection circuit, which includes a first positive thermal coefficient thermistor with a first switching temperature connected in series with a second positive thermal coefficient thermistor with a second switching temperature. The driver circuit includes a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) controller with an input pin and an output pin. The thermistors are connected to the input pin. When either thermistor temperature is above the respective switching temperatures, the thermal protection circuit causes the SMPS controller to produce a signal with a second duty cycle on the output pin. When both thermistor temperatures are below the respective switching temperatures, the thermal protection circuit causes the SMPS controller to produce a signal with a first duty cycle on the output pin.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/647,324, filed Oct. 8, 2012, which is a Continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/155,361, filed on Jun. 7, 2011, issued as U.S.Pat. No. 8,283,877 on Oct. 9, 2012, each of which is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure generally relates to a driver circuit forlight-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, and, more particularly, to a drivercircuit with thermal protection circuitry for preventing damage to anLED bulb that may result from overheating.

2. Description of the Related Art

High temperatures may reduce the operating life of an LED bulb. TheLEDs, the driver circuitry, and the cooling system may all be sensitiveto heat build-up in the LED bulb. Failure in any one of these componentsmay result in failure of the LED bulb.

The operating temperature of an LED bulb depends on many factors. Forexample, each individual LED produces heat. Therefore, the number andtype of LEDs present in the bulb may affect the amount of heat the LEDbulb produces. Additionally, drive circuitry may also producesignificant amounts of heat.

Other factors may determine the rate at which generated heat isdissipated. For example, the nature of the enclosure into which the LEDbulb is installed may dictate the orientation of the LED bulb, theinsulating properties surrounding the LED bulb, and the direction of theconvective air stream flowing over the LED bulb. Each of these factorsmay have a dramatic effect on the build-up of heat in and around the LEDbulb.

Accordingly, it may be desirable to dim or turn off the LEDs when theLED bulb or portions of the LED bulb reach certain temperatures.However, the additional circuitry required for this task must fit, alongwith the other required components, within the limited form factor ofthe LED bulb.

In the United States, a common lamp bulb form factor is the A19 bulbwith the E26 connector, as shown in FIG. 3. LED bulbs must often fit allrequired components, including the driver circuit, heat sinks, and LEDs,within the A19 bulb and E26 connector. As such, the size and weight ofthe driver circuit is a significant design consideration because of thelimited volume available in the A19 bulb and E26 connector enclosures.LED bulbs meant as replacements for common lamp bulbs in other countriesare also limited to comparable volumes.

The limited space in LED bulbs with common bulb form factors prohibitsthe use of a conventional thermal protection circuit used inmicroelectronics. This type of circuit usually includes a temperaturesensing device, an amplifier, and a switch to turn off the power to theLED bulb. However, the addition of these components to the LED bulb isdifficult due to the limited space of common bulb form factors.

SUMMARY

A first embodiment of a light-emitting diode (LED) bulb has an LEDwithin a shell. The LED bulb also includes a driver circuit forproviding current to the LED. The drives circuit has a thermalprotection circuit. The driver circuit includes a first thermistor inseries with a second thermistor. The first thermistor has a positivethermal coefficient and a first switching temperature. The secondthermistor has a positive thermal coefficient and a second switchingtemperature. The driver circuit also includes a switch-mode power supply(SMPS) controller with an input pin and an output pin. The thermistorsare connected to the input pin. When the first thermistor is at a firstoperating temperature above the first switching temperature, the thermalprotection circuit causes the SMPS controller to produce a signal with afirst duty cycle on the output pin. When the second thermistor is at asecond operating temperature above the second switching temperature, thethermal protection circuit causes the SMPS controller to produce asignal with the first duty cycle on the output pin. When the firstthermistor is at a third operating temperature below the first switchingtemperature and the second thermistor is at a fourth operatingtemperature below the second switching temperature, the SMPS controllerproduces a signal with a second duty cycle on the output pin.

A first embodiment of a driver circuit provides current to an LED. Thedrive circuit has a thermal protection circuit, which includes a firstthermistor and a second thermistor. The first thermistor has a positivethermal coefficient and a first switching temperature. The secondthermistor has a positive thermal coefficient and a second switchingtemperature. The driver circuit includes a switch-mode power supply(SMPS) controller with an input pin and an output pin. The thermistorsare connected to the input pin. When the first thermistor is at a firstoperating temperature above the first switching temperature, the thermalprotection circuit causes the SMPS controller to produce a signal with afirst duty cycle on the output pin. When the second thermistor is at asecond operating temperature above the second switching temperature, thethermal protection circuit causes the SMPS controller to produce asignal with the first duty cycle on the output pin. When the firstthermistor is at a third operating temperature below the first switchingtemperature and the second thermistor is at a fourth operatingtemperature below the second switching temperature, the thermalprotection circuit causes the SMPS controller to produce a signal with asecond duty cycle on the output pin.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 depicts a block level schematic of an exemplary driver circuitwith a thermal protection circuit.

FIGS. 2A and 2B depict a component level schematic of the exemplarydriver circuit with the thermal protection circuit.

FIG. 3 depicts an A19 bulb/shell and E26 connector found in a commonlight bulb form factor.

FIG. 4 depicts the behavior of thermistors in response to temperature.

FIG. 5 depicts an alternative exemplary driver circuit.

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary LED bulb with the exemplary driver circuitwith the thermal protection circuit.

FIG. 7 depicts an alternative exemplary driver circuit using twothermistors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is presented to enable a person of ordinaryskill in the art to make and use the various embodiments. Descriptionsof specific devices, techniques, and applications are provided only asexamples. Various modifications to the examples described herein will bereadily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the generalprinciples defined herein may be applied to other examples andapplications without departing from the spirit and scope of the variousembodiments. Thus, the various embodiments are not intended to belimited to the examples described herein and shown, but are to beaccorded the scope consistent with the claims.

FIG. 1 depicts a functional level diagram of exemplary driver circuit100 utilizing a thermal shutdown circuit. Driver circuit 100 may be usedin an LED bulb to power one or more LEDs 116. As an input, drivercircuit 100 takes an input line voltage (e.g., 120 VAC, 60 Hz in theU.S.) at input 102. As an output, driver circuit 100 produces an outputcurrent suitable for powering LEDs 116 connected to output 104.

As will be described in more detail below, driver circuit 100 includesinput protection circuit 106, input filter circuit 108, switched modepower supply (SMPS) circuit 110, thermal protection circuit 112, andpower factor control circuit 114. Input protection circuit 106 isconfigured to protect driver circuit 100 and LEDs 116 from damage due tovoltage spikes in the input line voltage or to prevent electrical shortsin the LED bulb from damaging the surrounding environment. Inputprotection circuit 106 is configured to also limit the input currentwhen a switched voltage is first applied to input 102. Input filtercircuit 108 is configured to condition the input line voltage for usewith SMPS circuit 110, and to prevent noise generated by SMPS circuit110 from reaching input 102 and affecting other devices connected to theinput line voltage. SMPS circuit 110 is configured to convert the inputline voltage to a current that is suitable for driving one or more LEDs116. Thermal shutdown circuit 112 is configured to reduce or eliminatethe current being supplied to LEDs 116 in the event that drive circuit100, LEDs 116, or some other part of the LED bulb reaches a thresholdtemperature. Power factor control circuit 114 is configured to adjustthe current that SMPS circuit 110 supplies to LEDs 116.

It should be recognized that some of the circuit blocks shown in FIG. 1may be omitted. For example, if an LED bulb naturally operates in itsmost efficient state, then power factor control circuit 114 may not benecessary. Alternatively, the input protection may take place outside ofthe LED bulb, and therefore, input protection circuit 106 may not benecessary.

FIGS. 2A and 2B depict a component level schematic of driver circuit100. The discussion below of the component level schematic lists severalranges, specific values, and part IDs for various components. It shouldbe understood that these are not intended to be limiting. Othercomponents values, parts, and ranges may also be used without deviatingfrom a driver circuit using a thermal protection circuit as describedherein. Additionally, while a specific circuit topology is presented inFIGS. 2A and 2B, a person skilled in the art will recognize that othertopologies could be used without deviating from a driver circuit using athermal protection circuit as described herein.

Referring to FIG. 2A, SMPS circuit 110 includes: SMPS controller 220;switching element 242; resistors 238, 240, and 244; diode 246; inductor248; and capacitor 250. SMPS controller 220 drives the switching speedand duty cycle of switching element 242, which controls the amount ofcurrent provided to the LEDs connected between output 104. Pins 220a-220 h are input and output pins of SMS controller 220. In one example,SMPS controller 220 is implemented with an HV9910B controller made bySupertex Inc. If using the HV9910B IC or a similar controller, SMPScontroller 220 may operate in either constant off-time or constantfrequency mode.

In constant frequency mode (set by connecting resistor 238 between RTpin 220 c and ground, the frequency of the output at GATE pin 220 d isset by the value of resistor 238. The duty cycle of the output may thenbe set by resistor 244.

In constant off-time mode (set by connecting RT pin 220 c to GATE pin220 d as shown in FIG. 2A), the duty cycle of the output at GATE pin 220d of SMPS controller 220 is set based on the value of resistor 238. Thefrequency of the output can then be varied with resistor 244. As shownin FIG. 2A, SMPS controller 220 is set for constant off-time modebecause RT pin 220 c is connected to GATE pin 220 d through resistor238.

The values of the components in SMPS circuit 110 may be selected toprovide suitable current to the LEDs connected to output 104, based on,among other factors, the input line voltage, the voltage drop across theLEDs, and the current required to drive the LEDs. For example, resistor238 may be 300 kΩ, resistor 240 may be 20Ω, resistor 244 may be 180 mΩ.Capacitor 222 is a hold-up capacitor to maintain VDD during switching,and may be 1 uF. Switching element 242 may be selected to operateproperly with the operating range of SMPS controller 220 and to providesufficient current for the LEDs. Switching element 242 may be anIRFR320PBF HEXFET Power MOSFET from International Rectifier. Diode 246provides a current path for the current stored in inductor 248 to besupplied to the LEDs when switching element 242 is turned off. Diode 246may be a IDD03SG60C SiC Schottky diode from Infineon Technologies.Capacitor 250 may filter the high frequency noise generated by thecapacitance of the windings of inductor 248. Capacitor 250 may be 22 nF.Inductor 248 stores energy to supply current to LEDs connected to output104 while switching element 242 is switched off. Inductor 248 may be aninductor of about 100 turns of 24 gauge, triple-insulated wire woundaround a Magnetics CO55118A2 toroid core.

Referring to FIG. 2B, thermal protection circuit 112 includes transistor234, thermistor 226, and resistor 224. Thermal protection circuit 112also uses SMPS controller 220. Transistor 234 may be a BSS123 Powern-channel MOSFET from Weitron Technology. Resistor 224 is a pull-upresistor to ensure that the gate of transistor 234 does not float whenthermistor 226 has a high resistance (discussed below). Resistor 224 maybe 100 kΩ.

In the present exemplary embodiment, thermistor 226 may be implementedas a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistor. A PTC thermistorbehaves as a normal small value resistor at nominal operatingtemperatures (i.e., the resistance changes slowly as temperaturechanges). However, once the operating temperature passes a switchingtemperature (Ts), the resistance of the PTC thermistor increases rapidlywith increasing temperature. This effect is depicted by the resistanceversus temperature curves for three PTC thermistors in FIG. 4.

The switching temperature may be selected depending on the recommendedoperating temperature for the LED bulb. For example, in the presentexemplary embodiment, a PTC thermistor with a switching temperature ofabout 100° C. may be appropriate. Alternatively, lower or higherswitching temperatures may be desirable depending on the recommendedoperating temperature for the component that is being monitored. Forexample, the driver circuit of an LED bulb may be able to operate at ahigher temperature than the LEDs. Therefore, a thermistor near thedriver circuit may have a higher switching temperature than a thermistoron heat sinks attached to the LEDs.

Two or more thermistors may also be used to monitor multiple locationsin the LED light bulb. For example, in FIG. 7 thermistor 227 with aswitching temperature of 120° C. may be placed on the driver circuit andthermistor 225 with a switching temperature of 90° C. may be placed onthe LED heat sink. If the two thermistors are connected in series, thenwhile the driver circuit stays below 120° C. and the heat sink staysbelow 90° C., the series resistance of the two thermistors will remainlow. However, if the driver circuit temperature rises above 120° C. orthe heat sink temperature rises above 90° C., then the series resistanceof the two thermistors will increase exponentially.

While thermal protection circuit 112 of driver circuit 100 uses a PTCthermistor, other temperature-sensitive components may also be used. Forexample, a negative temperature coefficient thermistor or atemperature-sensitive diode could be used if the topology of thermalprotection circuit 112 is modified to modulate SMPS controller 220'sswitching characteristics in a similar manner as described below.

Thermal protection circuit 112 makes use of linear dimmer (LD) pin 220 hof SMPS controller 220. The voltage applied to LD pin 220 h may changethe timing of the output signal on GATE pin 220 d, which in turn changesthe timing of switching element 242. As the voltage on LD pin 220 h islowered, the duty cycle (if in constant off-time mode) of the outputsignal is decreased, which causes switching element 242 to stay in theoff-state for a longer portion of each switching cycle. The longer thatswitching element 242 is off during each switching cycle, the lesscurrent that is delivered to the LEDs that are connected across output104, which causes the output of the LEDs to dim. If a zero voltage isapplied to LD pin 220 h, the duty cycle will drop to zero and no currentwill be delivered to output 104 and any connected LEDs will be turnedoff.

In a different implementation of SMPS controller 220, LD pin 220 hstarts to reduce the duty cycle of switching element 242 only when thevoltage applied to LD pin 220 h drops below a threshold value. In thisexample, changes in the voltage applied to LD pin 220 h will not affectthe duty cycle of switching element 242 if the voltage at LD pin 220 hremains above the threshold value. However, if the voltage applied to LDpin 220 h drops below the threshold value, then SMPS controller 220 willreduce the duty cycle as discussed in the previous paragraph.

In the above explanation of the operation of LD pin 220 h to reduce thedriver circuit output current and dim the LEDs, SMPS controller 220 wasassumed to be in constant off-time mode. If SMPS controller 220 isinstead in constant frequency mode, then LD pin 220 h will operate in asimilar fashion, except instead of modulating the duty cycle of theoutput signal, the frequency of the output signal will change.

Referring back to exemplary driver circuit 100 of FIGS. 2A and 2B, atoperating temperatures below the recommended operating temperature,thermistor 226 is a low-value resistor, which holds the gate terminal oftransistor 234 low. With transistor 234 turned off, SMPS controller 220internally pulls LD pin 220 h high. Thus, the low resistance ofthermistor 226 causes GATE pin 220 d to drive switching element 214 atthe nominal duty cycle.

However, as the operating temperature of the LED bulb increases,thermistor 226 becomes a high-value resistor, which turns on transistor234 as the gate terminal is biased through resistor 224 by VDD pin 220 gof SMPS controller 220. As transistor 234 turns on, it pulls LD pin 220h lower. Once transistor 234 pulls LD pin 220 h below some thresholdvalue, further decreases in the voltage on LD pin 220 h will cause SMPScontroller 220 to reduce the duty cycle (if SMPS controller 220 isconfigured for constant off-time mode) on GATE pin 220 d, which in turnreduces the duty cycle of switching element 242. Thus, the highresistance of thermistor 226 causes switching element 242 to operate ata duty cycle smaller than the nominal duty cycle.

The less time that switching element 242 is in the on-state, the lesscurrent that is delivered to output 104 and the output light of the LEDbulb decreases. As the current provided by the driver circuit decreasesand the output light of the LED bulb decreases, the operatingtemperature decreases as well.

Optionally, a filter in the form of capacitor 222 may be connected tothe gate of transistor 234 to provide a time lag for the biasing of LDpin 220 h by transistor 234. The time lag may prevent the system fromunstable or erratic behavior caused by small variations in the voltageon LD pin 220 h. Capacitor 222 may be 4.7 uF.

Referring back to FIG. 2A, input protection circuit 106 includes fuse200 that protects against short circuits in the rest of the drivercircuit or LEDs and varistor 202 that protects against voltage spikes inthe input line voltage. For example, fuse 200 may be a 250 mA slow blowmicro fuse and varistor may be a 240V-rated metal oxide varistor.

Input filter circuit 108 includes: capacitors 204, 210, 214, and 218;inductors 208 and 216; resistor 206; and bridge rectifier 212.Components for input filter circuit 108 should be selected to properlycondition the input line voltage for use with SMPS circuit 110 and toprevent noise from SMPS circuit 110 from reaching input 102 andaffecting other devices connected to the input line.

For example, if driver circuit 100 is connected to a 120 VAC, 60 Hzinput line voltage, bridge rectifier 212 may be a 400V diode bridgerectifier. Capacitor 204 may be selected to suppress high frequenciesgenerated by SMPS circuit 110 and may be 2.2 nF. Inductors 208 and 216may be 1-2 mH inductors or more specifically, about 200 turns of 36gauge wires wound around a Magnetics CO58028A2 toroid core. The dampingnetwork of resistor 210 and capacitor 206 may help minimize ringing ofdriver circuit 100 when input 102 is connected to the input line voltagethrough a residential dimmer. Resistor 210 may be 120 kΩ and capacitor206 may be 680 nf. Filter capacitors 214 and 218 may be 100 nF.

Referring again to FIG. 2B, power factor control circuit 114 may includeresistors 232 and 236, which feed a signal representative of the currentbeing supplied to LEDs connected to output 104. Based on this signal,SMPS controller 220 may adjust the timing of switching element 242,which modifies the current being supplied to output 104. Resistors 232and 236 may be 1.5 kΩ and 1 MΩ, respectively.

FIG. 5 depicts alternative exemplary driver circuit 500. Driver circuit500 is similar to driver 100 (FIG. 1) except driver circuit 500 does notinclude power factor control circuit 114 (FIG. 2B) or capacitor 222(FIG. 2B) of temperature protection circuit 112 (FIG. 2B).

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary LED bulb 600 with shell 602 and base 604.The LED bulb contains LEDs 606, heat sink 608, and driver circuit 610.In exemplary LED bulb 600, driver circuit 610 may be the driver circuitdiscussed above with respect to FIGS. 2A and 2B and is substantiallycontained within 604 base. In this context, substantially containedmeans that the majority of the driver circuit is within base 604 butparts of the driver circuit components may be protruding from base 604.For example, the top part of inductor 612 may protrude above base 604into heat sink 608 or shell 602 if the shell is connected directly tobase 604. Additionally, substantially contained also means that one ormore thermistors or other temperature-sensitive components may belocated outside of base 604 if temperatures at locations other thandrive circuit 610 are to be monitored. For example, one thermistor maybe located on driver circuit 610 in base 604, while a second thermistormay be located on heat sink 608 or within shell 602. In this example,driver circuit 610 is still substantially contained in base 604.

Although a feature may appear to be described in connection with aparticular embodiment, one skilled in the art would recognize thatvarious features of the described embodiments may be combined. Moreover,aspects described in connection with an embodiment may stand alone.

1-25. (canceled)
 26. A light-emitting diode (LED) bulb comprising: ashell; an LED contained within the shell; a heat sink for dissipatingheat generated by the LED; a driver circuit for providing current to theLED, the driver circuit having a thermal protection circuit thatcomprises: a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) controller having an inputpin, an output pin, and a power supply pin, a MOS transistor having adrain or a source terminal connected to the SMPS input pin, a firstthermistor with a positive thermal coefficient and having a firstswitching temperature, wherein the first thermistor is connected to agate terminal of the MOS transistor, a pull-up resistor connectedbetween the gate terminal of the MOS transistor and the SMPS powersupply pin, a pull-up capacitor connected between the SMPS power supplypin and ground, wherein, when the first thermistor is at a temperatureabove the first switching temperature, the first thermistor isconfigured to turn on the MOS transistor, wherein, when the firstthermistor is at a temperature below the first switching temperature,the first thermistor is configured to turn off the MOS transistor,wherein, when the MOS transistor is turned off, the SMPS controller isconfigured to supply a first signal with a first duty cycle on theoutput pin, and wherein, when the MOS transistor is turned on, the SMPScontroller is configured to supply a second signal with a second dutycycle on the output pin, and wherein the second duty cycle is lower thanthe first duty cycle; and a base attached to the shell for connectingthe LED bulb to an electrical socket.
 27. The LED bulb of claim 26,wherein the thermal protection circuit further comprises: a filterconnected to the gate terminal of the MOS transistor.
 28. The LED bulbof claim 26, wherein the first thermistor is located adjacent to theheat sink.
 29. The LED bulb of claim 26, wherein the driver circuitsubstantially fits within the base.
 30. The LED bulb of claim 26,wherein the thermal protection circuit further comprises: a secondthermistor with a positive thermal coefficient and a second switchingtemperature, wherein the second thermistor is connected in series withthe first thermistor.
 31. The LED bulb of claim 30, wherein the firstswitching temperature is lower than the second switching temperature.32. The LED bulb of claim 31, wherein the first thermistor is locatedadjacent to the heat sink, and wherein the second thermistor is locatedadjacent to the driver circuit.
 33. The LED bulb of claim 31, whereinthe thermal protection circuit further comprises: a filter connected tothe gate terminal of the MOS transistor.
 34. The LED bulb of claim 33,wherein the filter comprises a capacitor.
 35. The LED bulb of claim 26further comprising: an input filter connected to the SMPS controller,wherein the input filter is configured to accept an alternating current(AC) input and the input filter is configured to produce a rectifiedoutput, and wherein the input filter is configured to be electricallyconnected to the base.
 36. A thermal protection circuit for alight-emitting diode (LED) bulb, the circuit comprising: a switch-modepower supply (SMPS) controller having an input pin, an output pin, and apower supply pin, a MOS transistor having a drain or a source terminalconnected to the SMPS input pin, a first thermistor with a positivethermal coefficient and having a first switching temperature, whereinthe first thermistor is connected to the gate terminal of a MOStransistor, a pull-up resistor connected between the gate terminal ofthe MOS transistor and the SMPS power supply pin, a pull-up capacitorconnected between the SMPS power supply pin and ground, wherein, whenthe first thermistor is at a temperature above the first switchingtemperature, the first thermistor is configured to turn on the MOStransistor, wherein, when the first thermistor is at a temperature belowthe first switching temperature, the first thermistor is configured toturn off the MOS transistor, wherein, when the MOS transistor is turnedoff, the SMPS controller is configured to supply a first signal with afirst duty cycle on the output pin, and wherein when the MOS transistoris turned on, the SMPS controller is configured to supply a secondsignal with a second duty cycle on the output pin, and wherein thesecond duty cycle is lower than the first duty cycle.
 37. The LED bulbof claim 36, wherein the thermal protection circuit further comprises: afilter connected to the gate terminal of the MOS transistor.
 38. The LEDbulb of claim 37, wherein the filter is configured to provide a timelag.
 39. The LED bulb of claim 36, wherein the thermal protectioncircuit further comprises: a second thermistor with a positive thermalcoefficient and a second switching temperature, wherein the secondthermistor is connected in series with the first thermistor.
 40. Thecircuit of claim 39, wherein the first switching temperature isdifferent than the second switching temperature.
 41. The circuit ofclaim 39, wherein the first thermistor is located adjacent to a heatsink, and wherein the second thermistor is located adjacent to a drivercircuit.
 42. The circuit of claim 36, further comprising an input filterconnected to the SMPS controller, wherein the input filter is configuredto accept an alternating current (AC) input and the input filter isconfigured to produce a rectified output.